"Quality Matters" by Chris Tashjian
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 Chris Tashjian, M.D. chair of the Quality Committee
The National Committee for Quality Assurance recently recognized HealthPartners as one of the top five health plans in the region. The honor is based on HealthPartners performance in diagnosing and treating diseases, including cancer, heart disease, smoking, asthma and diabetes. This award is especially significant as the nation struggles with the challenge of improving health care while containing costs. While the honor recognizes HealthPartners as a leader in providing quality care, we are also proud to be pioneers in linking higher quality to lower costs.
In many industries, higher quality products costs more. At HealthPartners we know that improving patient care works to improve the health of the patient and to reduce the patient's medical expenses. A prime example of this is our performance in treating the most common chronic condition in the United States: diabetes. Seventeen million Americans have diabetes. Among HealthPartners members, 20,000 have diabetes. If not managed properly, this disease can lead to heart disease, strokes, blindness and limb amputations. About ten years ago, HealthPartners created a program to help patients control blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose. As a result, the number of amputations has decreased by 45 percent. One hundred HealthPartners patients each year are spared the tragedy of a limb amputation. There has also been a reduction in cases of diabetic eye complications, which can lead to blindness. Each year, 40 fewer patients develop the changes that can lead to blindness.
HealthPartners is the first in the nation to assess quality of care using comprehensive measures of preventive and chronic condition care. We are pioneers in this area because we know there is a significant improvement in quality of life for patients as well as an economic return for providing the best medical care. Our analysis shows that diabetes patients who receive appropriate care incur about one twelfth the medical costs of patients with poorly managed diabetes. Over three years the costs are $5,000 compared to $60,000. The diabetes management program I mentioned is reducing medical expenses at HealthPartners by more than $15 million per year.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance award is recognition of the work we have done in providing high quality care and service for our members. Even though we are doing well, our work will not be complete until we see a total transformation of health care in our community, our state and our nation. I believe HealthPartners will continue to lead the way.
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